


Dirty Laundry

by Pikachunicorn



Category: New X-Men: Academy X, X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, references to Kevin Ford's death, references to sex addiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-08
Updated: 2017-03-08
Packaged: 2018-10-01 04:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10180226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pikachunicorn/pseuds/Pikachunicorn
Summary: His eyes are only bloodshot for a moment once he looks in the mirror. It's a quick fix. A blink, and the flawless white returns. The bags below them fade in the same moment. No one would even know... Know that he'd been crying... Know that he was a murderer...**Every time I hear Dirty Laundry by All Time Low, it makes me wanna write Josh/Julian, so I did**





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is dark, but DAMN have I missed writing Josh's dark side! :O <3

His eyes are only bloodshot for a moment once he looks in the mirror. It's a quick fix. A blink, and the flawless white returns. The bags below them fade in the same moment. No one would even know... Know that he'd been crying... Know that he was a _murderer_...

He's only here to collect his most crucial possessions. Only the basic stuff he needs to flee the state... Maybe the _country_. He doesn't care as long as he's as far away from here as possible.

Tearing his gaze from his - currently mostly gold - reflection, he grabs a handful of shirts from the open drawer at his hips, and turns to shove them into the duffle on the bed.

"I know you're there," he growls, his voice still rough from sobbing, "I can feel your fucking cells."

Julian Keller steps out from behind the doorframe, his brow set harshly, eyes focused firmly on Josh. Josh returns to ignoring him, tugging out the whole top drawer from his nightstand, dumping it on the top, and diving widespread hands into the mess within. His fingers hook around his passport, and he pulls in from the clutter, flinging it backwards into the bag.

"Leaving again." Julian states more than asks, with a huff of angered laughter. "Figures."

Josh pauses for a moment, before returning to his actions of crossing the room to fling open the closet.

"You do realise that no one here has seen you since the Legacy Virus thing?" Julian's voice is strong and firm, almost rehearsed. Josh can hear him shifting to stand up straight behind him. "Do you have any idea what Nori was thinking? She was petrified, you _ass_!"

Again, Josh pauses. This time, his grip on the closet door tightens, and his head drops. Sighing in exhaustion and emotional suppression, he lets his eyes slip closed. He focuses on stabilizing his breathing to calm himself.

"Talk to me, Elixir." Julian's voice, despite being so assertive, sounds distant and vague to Josh. He blinks up from the floor, his eyes meeting with the fabric of his old uniforms. The pristine white and yellow of his New Mutants suit - the one he would wear when things were simple, _when no one had to die_ \- shines brightly from the dark closet. It hurts to see, to be reminded of how much he lost... Especially when his current attire is black and grey and _splattered with blood_. He takes another heavy breath, screwing his eyes shut, just in case some more tears try to break out. _Not now._

"Foley!" Josh is snapped back to the room when Hellion's hands are suddenly on him, turning him harshly to face the telekinetic. The grip on his shoulders doesn't relax at all when he blinks up at the assailant.

"Go away, Julian." He forces, barely strong enough to manage the words.

Julian's eyes widen for a second as he takes in Josh's appearance for the first time. His wrists go a little slack, allowing his fingertips to slip from Josh's shoulders, down his bloody uniform.

"Josh..." Julian's voice is quieter, calmer now. "What happened?"

Josh doesn't respond. Instead, choosing to walk past Julian, back to his bed.

"Where are you gonna go?" Julian asks, his mind forming numerous of his own answers to the previous question in the absence of the truth.

"Away." Josh answers finally.

"Why?" Julian snaps in a moment.

" _Because_." Josh states childishly.

"Because _what_ , Foley?" Julian demands, his voice rising again as he crosses the room to where Josh zips up his bag.

Josh slings the heavy bag over his shoulder, taking one last glance around the room, as if Julian were invisible. "Goodbye, Hellion."

"No!" Julian telekinetically tugs the bag from Josh's shoulder to the floor, eyes flaring emerald for a second.

Josh narrows his eyes at the other boy. "You don't know what you're doing."

The door slams suddenly and Julian tilts his head to the side in challenge. "Don't I?"

"I can't stay," Josh's tone is as level as he can manage at this moment (which meant it still held a slight quiver). "I'm dangerous."

Julian spits out a laugh and shakes his head. "Aren't we all?" He almost growls, eyes once again flashing their green glow.

"I did something-"

"Shut up."

"Julian, I-"

"Don't you remember how we fix the things you fuck up, Elixir?" Julian takes a step closer, and every piece of Josh's mutation screams out for the familiar biology. Worse, his mind lights up at the suggestion in the words. He swallows hard, fists balling at his sides.

" _Julian_..." He whispers, the name feeling so right on his tongue. "I can't- I- When I was in Genosha-"

"Fuck, Josh, I don't give a shit what you did." Julian growls lowly, eyes locked on Josh's own. He somehow lowers his voice more, moving even closer. "I only care about what you do with me."

It takes Josh a few seconds to realise that he's kissing him. But he is. Passionately. Like he needs it more than his own breath. Maybe he does. It is his only coping strategy, after all... And Julian knows that.

Josh feels his shirt be tugged away from him at all angles, until he takes the hint to hurriedly pull it off completely, watching Julian hastily do the same. And in a second, they're kissing again, the increased skin-to-skin contact flooding Josh's mutation with information and pleasure.

"You shouldn't do this." Josh warns against Julian's mouth, resisting a moan at the sound of his telekinetically-removed, X-buckle belt hitting the floor. "I'll hurt you."

"Go on, then." Julian pulls back, his breathing laboured. He holds his arms out and leans back more. " _Hurt me_."

Josh stares at him for a second, dumbfounded. "No."

"Thought not." Julian hisses, tugging Josh back into a kiss. He moans loudly into the contact.

"What?" Josh whispers, concerned. Julian's smirk grows even as they kiss more.

_"God, you taste good when you're all fucked up."_


End file.
